Thursday, July 18, 2013

6:19 PM

U.S. Rep. Ron Kind, D-La Crosse, today announced the introduction of a bill requiring federal agencies to provide reports on upcoming conferences, arguing it would discourage events that serve "no needed civic purpose."

The TRACE Act -- Transparency Requirements for Agency Conferences and Events -- would require agencies to disclose information on conferences 30 days prior to their start date, including costs, itinerary, keynote speakers, conference attendees and "a summary of the purposes and goals of the event."

“Like all taxpayers, I’ve been shocked to hear reports about some of the waste and abuse being perpetrated within certain federal agencies, especially coming at a time when so many Americans are being hurt by sequester cuts,” Kind said in a statement.